Michigan State of the State Survey: Obama approval ratings climb, Snyder ratings still low

President Barack Obama, as seen in the Oval Office on April 2, 2013.AP Photo

LANSING, MI -- President Barack Obama's approval ratings are up in Michigan, while Gov. Rick Snyder's ratings remain relatively low, according to the results of a new statewide survey released today by Michigan State University.

For its latest State of the State Survey, conducted quarterly since 1994, MSU interviewed 1,013 Michigan adults via landline and cellphone between January 14 and March 4, asking them questions about public policy, elected leaders and the economy.

Obama earned his highest positive ratings since mid-2009, with 48.4 percent of respondents saying he was doing a "good" or "excellent" job, up from 42.5 percent last fall.

"That's a statistically significant increase between fall of 2012 and winter of 2013," Charles Ballard, an MSU economics professor and director of the State of the State Survey, said this morning on WKAR radio. "I think it may be a sort of reaction or reflection of his successful re-election campaign, where of course he carried Michigan by almost a double-digit margin over Governor Romney."

Approval Ratings

President Barack Obama

Excellent: 17.2 percent

Good: 31.2 percent

Fair: 22 percent

Poor: 29.6 percent

Governor Rick Snyder

Excellent: 6.6 percent

Good: 27.4 percent

Fair: 33.1 percent

Poor: 33 percent

Source: MSU State of the State Survey, conducted Jan 14-March 4, 2013

Because of the timing and timeline of the survey, it's difficult to ascertain how budget battles and the eventual sequester impacted Obama's ratings. Recent national polls indicate that the president's approval ratings fell this month in the wake of the sequester, which took effect March 1, but a majority of Americans held Republicans in Congress responsible for the automatic cuts.

The governor's positive ratings were relatively unchanged in the latest State of the State Survey, with 34 percent of respondents giving him "good" or "excellent" marks, down from 35.5 percent last fall but within the survey's margin of error.

Snyder's high-end ratings have fluctuated between 36.8 percent and 31.8 percent since taking office. His predecessor, former Gov. Jennifer Granholm, finished her term with 20.7 percent positive ratings, down from an initial high of 57.2 percent.

"Certainly it's not as good as probably the governor would like to see if he's going to be re-elected (in 2014)," Ballard said. "But these are not terrible. We've seen terrible."

While the statewide survey took place before implementation of Michigan's new right-to-work law, which took effect last week, responses revealed a clear divide. Close to 43 percent of respondents said they think the new law will help the state's economy, while 41 percent said it will hurt.

"Basically it's a statistical dead heat," Ballard said. "It's a tie, and that suggests to me we have probably not heard the last word on right to work. It will remain a contentious issue."

The statewide survey also indicated significant differences in gender and geography. Obama fared better with women and residents in Southeast Michigan, while Snyder got higher marks from men and residents in West Michigan.

Both the president and governor earned solid reviews from self-described members of their own party. More than 85 percent of Democrats rated Obama as "good" or "excellent," while 56.9 percent of Republicans gave Snyder similar marks.

The quarterly State of the State Survey is sponsored by MSU's Institute for Public Policy and Social Research in the university's College of Social Science.